Chapter 1918 (1/2)

Southern Divine Region, Seven Star Realm.

At a calm river covered by swaying willow trees, Jin Yue and her younger sister were strolling along an emerald green riverside.

As it turned out, the dark devil people were nowhere as scary as the people had imagined them to be, and the enforcers carried out Emperor Yun’s laws strictly but fairly. Amazingly, the world was actually a fairer and more peaceful place compared to what it was before.

After the initial panic had faded, the atmosphere of the Seven Star Realm had become much different in just a couple of years.

“Sister, father and grandpa have decided the date they will return to the Eastern Divine Region. Are you… really not going to follow them?”

Wei’er had grown into a quick-witted girl over the past few years. Many of her childish features had faded away and become replaced by an exquisite countenance not unlike her older sister’s. But despite her growth, Wei’er never stopped liking to stick by her sister’s side. She loved holding her hand and watching her gentle smile, even though behind it was a pool of sorrow that seemed like it would never fade.

Jin Yue shook her head while staring at the path that seemed to stretch endlessly before her. “Seven Star Realm is a very peaceful place. I like it here even though it’s only been a short few years. Maybe I’ll even spend the rest of my life here.”

It wasn’t like she never wanted to leave the Seven Star Realm. She just couldn’t.

“Listen up, you’d better leave this black sigil exactly where I put it. Don’t ever think of trying to get rid of it. If I ever sense its existence disappearing… I will come back and annihilate your entire clan!”

Those eyes that used to be so warm and gentle had become a pair of violent, black storms, the Young Master Yun she used to be on amicable terms with had become the Devil Master, destroyer of the Moon God Realm… and this cruel, black sigil he planted in her person was a curse she would never be able to escape for as long as she lived.

That was why it was a good thing that her family was leaving. The further away they were from her, the safer they would be.

“In that case, I’ll stay behind and keep you company, okay?”

Wei’er had said this with grave determination. It wasn’t a product of quick impulse; she seemed to have arrived at this decision a long time ago.

“No.” However, Jin Yue denied her without hesitation and faced toward her younger sister with stern, immovable eyes. “We’er, great grandpa’s star realm is no king realm, but it is still an upper star realm. The environment decides a person’s growth and future, and this is especially so for someone your age. You are not to act willfully in this matter, or you’ll quickly find that I am not the only one who’ll disagree with you.”

Jin Yue’s tone alone made it clear that there was absolutely no chance Wei’er was going to change her mind. The girl lowered her head a bit dejectedly before asking, “Say, sister… do you think you will marry in the future?”

“...” Jin Yue shook her head and shot her a sorrowful smile. “No.”

“Won’t you feel lonely if you’re always alone?”

“I’ll get used to it,” she replied quietly.

Although Wei’er wasn’t an adult yet, she could still sense the sorrow and helplessness buried deep within her heart. A short while later, she asked another question, “Do you… still miss the Moon God Emperor, sister?”

“...” Jin Yue’s footsteps slowed for a second. She wasn’t able to say a word in response.

Wei’er continued, “These days, everyone says that Emperor Yun is really a very good person. They say that he once saved the God Realm from a world-ending calamity, and that he chose forgiveness even after he became Emperor Yun… They also say that the God Realm will definitely march to a brighter future under his leadership.”

“He… was a very good person,” Jin Yue muttered in a daze. “But…”

“But,” Wei’er’s voice grew softer, “they also say that the Moon God Emperor was a terrible person. They say that she chose ingratitude during Emperor Yun’s direst moment, and that karma came back to bite her and the Moon God Realm because of her actions. They say that she was one of the main reasons Emperor Yun chose death and destruction when he took his revenge, which means that she was at least partially to blame for all the star realms and people who have been destroyed…”

“Stop. Stop.”

Jin’er interrupted Wei’er and carefully looked into the distance so that her younger sister wouldn’t notice the pain in her eyes. “Remember this, Wei’er. No matter what the world thinks of her, she will always be the person I admire the most.”

“Although she changed a lot after that fateful day, and it grew to the point where she wouldn’t even allow me to get close to her, it is still the greatest honor of my life to have served her.”

Her eyes gradually became unfocused and misty as she murmured more to herself than We’er, “Also… despite what people say, I kept having this strange feeling… that she was hiding some sort of secret and sorrow… that she hadn’t chosen to do what she did because she wanted to…”

“Even now, I can’t stop wondering if the real reason she chased me away… was to protect me…”

RUMBLE

Suddenly, a dull, distant rumble hit them. Then, Jin Yue felt an unnatural, terrifying aura surging toward them at high speed.

Heart suddenly leaping to her throat, Jun Yue tried to push her younger sister away from her, “Run, Wei’er!”

Shred!

She was too late. The person she dreaded the most to meet since that day appeared so fast that space itself was temporarily severed.

Jin Yue felt like someone had submerged her entire body in cold ice. She pulled Wei’er behind her before saying, “Emperor… Yun.”

Yun Che didn’t waste any words. He simply stretched out his hand at her and ordered, “Give me the bronze mirror she left behind!”

Jin Yue’s heart sank to the bottom.

Something wasn’t quite right about the man in front of her. His eyes were a pair of black pools of enigma as usual, but she felt like something was shivering behind them. His voice was also strangely raspy for some reason. Still, his domineering tone and natural pressure were enough to choke her with fear and terror.

The bronze mirror Xia Qingyue had ordered her to destroy was an inheritance from her own mother. It was the first time Jin Yue had disobeyed her orders because she was afraid that her master would come to regret her decision. She never thought that it would become her one and only memento of Xia Qingyue.

Yun Che had killed Xia Qingyue… and now, he was going to take away even her last memento of her.

But he couldn’t deny him.

Wei’er was right behind her, not to mention her family.

She dared not hesitate for too long, nor did she possess the power to reject him. Slowly and painfully, she fished out the most important possession of her life.

She hadn’t even managed to relinquish her grip when a surge of profound energy snatched it right out of her fingers. When she looked, she saw that the bronze mirror was already in Yun Che’s hands.

The dam in Jin Yue’s eyes instantly broke. She felt as if someone had gouged out a hole from her heart, and it felt both unbearably painful and empty. It took all of her power to keep herself from sobbing out loud.

The bronze mirror was small and delicate. It was made from a metal that was considered extremely common even among the lower realms. Yun Che felt a moment of great excitement and relief when the mirror was finally in his grasp, but they were soon overwhelmed by even greater sorrow.

He had the entire universe beneath his feet.